A Continuous Bin Model of Aerosol Behavior in the Marine Boundary Layer
Abstract
The nature of aerosol particles at the ocean surfaces is important to a large number of direct and indirect applications. Visibility in the optical wavelengths is largely controlled by the distribution of haze particles. The growth of ice and rime on ship structures depends on the concentration of aerosol particles, as well as temperature and water vapor content of the atmosphere. Less directly, aerosols play an important role in the transfer of mass and latent heat from the ocean to the atmosphere. Particularly at high wind speeds, the aerosol population can be responsible for a significant part of the total surface flux of heat and moisture. Operational Navy application require a particularly accurate description of the particle size distribution. Since the efficiency of scattering by particles strongly depends on the ratio of incident wavelength and scatterer dimension, visible, infrared, and microwave systems performance are affected by different parts of the aerosol size distribution. In particular, micron droplets attenuate or modify visible imagery, while larger submillimeter particles affect microwave wavelengths. The microphysics of the aerosol population is therefore important to the development of operational application.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA230008
Entities
People
- Andreas K. Goroch
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory